Manufacture of articles from powdered metals



Patented June 20, 1939 MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM POWDERED METALS Gregory J. Comstock, Fairfield, Conn., assignor to Handy & Harman, Bridgeport, Conm, a corporation 01 New York No Drawing. Application December 28, 1937, Serial No. 182,162

1'7 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of articles from powdered metals, and more particularly to the manufacture of ornamental objects, such as jewelry, silverware or objects of art in the form of mosaics.

This applicationis a continuation-in-part of my co-pending application Serial No. 35,631, filed August 10, 1935.

The invention is useful in the production of various ornamental objects, among which may be mentioned, by way of example, watch cases, vanity cases and cigarette cases,- although it will be understood that the invention is applicable to many other uses. The mosaics of the present invention may be made of contrasting colors, forming a pattern which is very attractive, and which is permanent, even though the article is subjected to considerable wear. Mosaics made according to the present invention have a permanency which is not obtained by methods of surface ornamentation, such as plating or enameling, in which the pattern is destroyed after the surface has been worn off.

The mosaics of the present invention may be made from a variety of powdered metals, among which may be mentioned silver, gold, platinum, iridium, palladium, copper, nickel, zinc, antimony, cobalt, molybdenum, tungsten, titanium, tantalum, iron and alloys or combinations of these metals.

The invention will be described in connection with the production of a mosaic from silver and copper powders, it being understood that other combinations of metal powders or alloy powders may be employed. Silver powder is placed in a suitable mold and is presintered by the simultaneous application of heat and pressure, in order to form a presintered block which can be easily formed into pieces by sawing, filing, cutting or abrading. I may, for example, employ a pressure of approximately 500 to; 1200 pounds per square inch and a temperature'of 400 to 900 F., in order to produce the presintered block from the silver powder.

Powdered copper is also presintered by the simultaneous application of heat and pressure, to form a, block of copper, which may be easily sawed or filed into smaller pieces. The presintered block of silver and the presintered block of copper are then out into pieces of -the desired size and shape and are assembled to form a mosaic of the pattern which is desired. The

assembly is then placed in a mold and subjected to the simultaneous application of heat and pressure. This consolidates thepieces a1 ders the product more dense.

The hot pressing of the assembled piece: form the mosaic is preferably carried employing a higher temperature and p than that employed in forming the pres pieces. For example,- the hot pressing assembled pieces may be carried out at 1 perature of about 1300 F. and at a pres; 3000 lbs. per square inch.

Various other metals may be emplo; forming the presintered pieces; or alloys c tures of metals may be used in formin pieces. Where presintered pieces havin; trasting colors are employed, very striking may be produced in the mosaic. Sin mosaic is not the result of surface ornai tion onlybut, on the contrary, the sintered of different compositions extend entirely t] the mosaic, it will have'a long life, even 1 subjected to considerable wear.

In the preferred manner of practicing 1 vention as already described, the presi pieces of silver and copperare formed by pressing operation-that is, by subjectil powdered metal to the simultaneous appl of heat and pressure. Likewise after the of presintered materials have been asseml form the mosaic, they are preferably hot p I may, however, form the presintered pie the cold press method, in which the po metal is compressed into a' block wh'ile co] the block is thereafter heated to a sinterin perature, either with or without the appl. of pressure.

Instead of hot pressing the pieces of 1 tered blocks which have been assembled t a mosaic, I may simply heat the assembly out the use of pressure, to a temperature cient to consolidate the pieces together. alternative, I may heat the assembled pres] pieces to a sintering temperature and thl low this by a pressing operation to cons the pieces together and render the mosaii dense.

In some cases, it is desirable to provi mosaic with a backing, such as a metal sl plate. 1 This backing may be a cast and metal fl-or alloy or may have been made powdered metal or alloy by sintering and ing operations. In either case, when it is that the mosaic have a backing plate, th sintered pieces are arranged in the desired 1 pattern on the backing plate and then the assembly, including the backing plate, is

eed not be made up of presintered i only. A part of the mosaic may ;t and .rolled material and a part material made from powdered oodies are assembled to form the in the mosaic and then consolin' by heat and pressure in any of iously described, either with or 8.

;ing operations may be carried out )1 steel or other mold connected ircuit. I have used a high carbon L steel mold with satisfactory reit may be communicated to the blocks of graphite or other suit- ;he heater blocks being connected circuit. Where sintering is emthe simultaneous application of irogen or other suitable furnace |owdered metals as used in the led to include powdered alloys or f metals.

ave described in detail the present ier of practicing my invention, it stood that the invention may be died or practiced within the scope claims.

)d of making mosaics from powwhich comprises forming a plud bodies of different compositions, bodies in contact with each other aic and heating the assembly to cting surfaces together and conntered bodies into a continuous )d of making mosaics from powwhich comprises forming a plu- :d bodies of different compositions, bodies in contact with each other .10 and subjecting the assembly to of heat and pressure suflicient to cting surfaces together and conntered bodies into a continuous Jd of making mosaics from powwhich comprises forming a plu- K1 bodies of different compositions, bodies to contact with each other :aic and subjecting the assembly eous application of heat and presto weld the contacting surfaces msolidate the sintered bodies into d of making mosaics from powwhich comprises forming a plued bodies of different compositions 60118 application of heat and presowdered metals, assembling the act with each other to form a bjecting the assembly to heat and pressure suflicient to weld the contacting surfaces together and consolidate the sintered bodies into a continuous structure.

6. The method of making mosaics from powdered metals, which comprises forming a plurality of sintered bodies of different compositions by the simultaneous application of heat and pres- .sure to the powdered metals, assembling the bodies in contact with each other to form a mosaic, and subjecting the assembly to the simultaneous application of heat and pressure sumcient to weld the contacting surfaces together and consolidate the sintered bodies into a continuous structure.

7. The method of making mosaics from powdered metals, which comprises forming a plurality of sintered bodies of different compositions and of a character to be easily workable by sawing, filing, cutting or abrading, dividing the bodies into pieces, assembling the pieces in contact-with each other to form a mosaic, and heating the assembly to weld the contacting surfaces together and consolidate the pieces into a continuous structure.

8. The method of making mosaics from powdered metals, which comprises forming a plurality of sintered bodies of different compositions and of a character to be easily workable by sawing, filing, cutting or abrading, dividing the bodies into pieces, assembling the pieces in contact with each other to form a. mosaic, and subjecting the assembly to the simultaneous application of heatand pressure to weld the contacting surfaces together and consolidate the pieces into a continuous structure.

9. The method of making mosaics from powdered metals, which comprises forming a plurality of sintered bodies of difierent compositions by the simultaneous application of heat and pressure to the powdered metals, the bodies being easily workable by sawing, filing, cutting or abrading, dividing the bodies into pieces, assembling the pieces in contact with each other to form a mosaic, and subjecting the assembly to the simultaneous application of heat and pressure to weld the contacting surfaces together and consolidate the pieces into a continuous structure.

10. The method of making mosaics, which comprises assembling a plurality of preformed bodies of diiferent compositions in contact with each other to form a mosaic, at least a portion of said bodies being sintered and made from powdered metal, and heating the assembly to weld the contacting surfaces together and consolidate the bodies into a continuous structure.

11. The method of making mosaics, which comprises assembling a plurality of preformed bodies of different compositions in contact with each other to form a mosaic, at least a portion of said bodies being sintered and made from powdered metal, and subjecting the assembly to heat and pressure sufficient to weld the contacting surfacestogether and consolidate the bodies into a continuous'structure.

12. The method of making mosaics, which comprises assembling a plurality of preformed bodies of different compositions in contact with each other to form a mosaic, a portion of said bodies being sintered and made from powdered metal, another portion of said bodies being of cast metal, and subjecting the assembly to heat and pressure suflicient to weld the contacting surfaces together and consodlidate the bodies into a continuous structure.

13. The method of maliing mosaics from powdered metals, which comprises forming a plurality of sintered bodies of different compositions, assembling the bodies 'on a backing in contact with each other to form a mosaic, and heating the assembly to weld the contacting surfaces together and consolidate the sintered bodies and hacking into a continuous structure.

14. A mosaic comprising a plurality of sintered powdered metal bodies of different compositions,

said bodiesbeing welded to each other at, their contacting surfaces and consolidated to form the mosaic. 1

15. A mosaic comprising a plurality of bodies of different compositions, at least a portion of said bodies being sintered powdered metal bodies, said bodies being welded ,to each other at their contacting surfaces and consolidated to form such,

GREGORY J. COMSTOCK. 

